SEARCH THE OBSERVER REPORTER

Wild Things rally in ninth for win

The Washington Wild Things scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a dramatic 5-3 victory from the Lake Erie Crushers Friday night in a Frontier League game.

Stewart Ijames hit a two-run single and C.J. Beatty drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk for the Wild Things, who entered the inning trailing 3-1.

Connor Lewis opened the ninth for Washington by getting hit by a pitch and moved to second on a single by Sam Montgomery. Lewis was erased at third on a sacrifice attempt by Jim Vahalik. Montgomery scored and Vahalik moved to third when Lake Erie first baseman Andrew Davis misplayed Daniel Poma’s grounder for an error. Garrett Rau singled to load the bases and Beatty walked to tie the game, 3-3. Ijames followed with his game-winning hit.

Lake Erie built a 3-1 lead with an RBI-single by Emmanuel Quiles in the fourth and a two-run single by Anderson Hidalgo in the sixth.

Washington took a 1-0 lead in the third when Vahalik scored on an error. Matt Sergey picked up his first win of the season with a scoreless eighth and Jonathan Kountis got the save.